KLEM News AM Update June 9, 2011

Northwestern College in Orange City boasts 90% placement in 2009 and 92% in 2010. Dordt College in Sioux Center reports 97.7% in 2009 and 95.6% in 2010. Both institutions measure placement 6 months after graduation, which means 2011 statistics are not yet available.

Career development personnel at both schools are busy doing their best to prepare their students for the competitive job market. Chris DeJong is the Director of Career Services at Dordt College. He says his department at Dordt "equips students with the skills necessary to search for and obtain a career after graduation." DeJong says they do that through various networking opportunities with employers and coach them through practical job seeking skills. Dordt also provides job seekers with an electronic platform called College Central Network. Here, students and alumni can view and apply to job and internship opportunities online and employers can search and view resumes and portfolios.

Bill Minnick, Career Development Director at Northwestern says students need to be willing to work hard and be flexible when looking for jobs.

Listen here

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Minnick adds that some students are full of angst when it comes to searching, others are really stepping up to the plate.

Listen here

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

One of those Northwestern students that started early is Greta Hays. Greta, who graduated in May as a public relations and theater major, is looking for a career in arts management. The second semester of her senior year she did an internship at the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington D.C., which she says played an integral part in finding a job.

Listen here

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Both upcoming jobs align with her desired arts management path. Her experience supports Career Development Director Minnick's theory that an internship is an important step when trying to secure job placement.

Ashley Wright graduated Northwestern in May with a Writing and Rhetoric Major and a minor in Christian Missions. She says finding a job hasn't been easy for her. Ashley was expecting a challenge, but was hopeful there would be more openings.

Listen here

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Ashley says that if she had to do it over again, one thing she would maybe consider is having a different minor or another major that complimented her writing major to give her an additional skill-set.

Here's some closing advice from Bill Minnick, Career Development Director at Northwestern.

Listen here

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

(Report by Angela Drake of KLEM News)

(LE MARS)--Le Mars residents will keeping rolling their garbage totes and recycling containers out on a weekly rotation. They'll also have a new option of asking for a special pick up. The city may also tweak the schedule to reflect heavier times of garbage and recycling.

That's the result of the Council's review Tuesday of the move to mandatory recycling in January.

Council member John Rexwinkel renewed a push for weekly garbage collection--this time from June through September.

Listen here

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

His motion got the support of Council member Delana Ihrke but failed to pass Tuesday afternoon. The vote was 2-3.

Council member John Leonard supported the recycling effort. Leonard asked about an option for residents who wanted more garbage collection.

Listen here

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Scott Vander Sluis of Van's Sanitation and Recycling predicted half-full garbage totes from weekly garbage collection could be filled with other items.

Listen here

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Council member Ken Nelson supported the city being a leader in recycling which he said would save citizens long-term landfill costs.

Listen here

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

A motion to keep the garbage and recycling rotation passed on a three-to-two vote with no votes from Ihrke and Rexwinkel. Those who'd like a special garbage pickup for the seven dollar fee may contact Van's Sanitation at 548-4644.

Council fills five committees with appointments

(LE MARS)--Le Mars area residents will serve on five city committees.

The Le Mars City Council Tuesday appointed Danna Schuster and Dave Westergard to a three-year term on the Le Mars Convention and Visitor Bureau. Becky Klohs will serve as the fourth at-large member for a three-year term.

Mayor Dick Kirchoff recommended Jim Gergeni and Wayne Schlotfeldt be appointed to five-year terms on the Le Mars Planning and Zoning Commission.

The Council action Tuesday fills vacancies for seats on the planning and zoning group that had been held by Dave Wilberding and Ken Jacobsen.

Kathleen Kipp was re-appointed to the Le Mars Public Library Board of Trustees. New appointments to the library board are Robbin Hermson and Jan Musson. They'll fill vacancies for seats previously held by Randy Becker and Connie Engebretson.

Dave Ruden was reappointed to a five-year term on the Le Mars Broadband Telecommunications

Volunteers invited to spruce up downtown for Ice Cream Days

(LE MARS)--Ice Cream Days visitors will see a spruced up downtown.

The Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce Main Street Design Committee is organizing the clean-up.

Volunteers are invited to help clean sidewalks, wipe down benches and pull weeds.

The spruce up effort begins at the Olson Cultural Event Center Sunday afternoon at one. Volunteers are asked to bring brooms, dustpans, trash bags, gloves and similar items.

Flood watch focuses on Dunes

DAKOTA DUNES, S.D. (AP) With levees in the South Dakota cities of Pierre and Fort Pierre holding back the Missouri River, crews on Wednesday continued to build up dikes along the rising river in the far southeastern communities around Dakota Dunes.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is pushing record amounts of water through Missouri River dams to get rid of unexpectedly heavy rains that fell last month upstream in eastern Montana and Wyoming and western North Dakota and South Dakota.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard says the Dakota Dunes levees won't be fully tested for around a week, as flows from the Gavin's Point Dam are periodically increased up to 150,000 cubic feet per second.

He says every increase in the river's flow represents a new test for downstream points.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

County attorney won't prosecute bus driver

(SAC CITY)--Sac County charges against a school bus driver will be dismissed by the county attorney.

The Sac County Sheriff's office charged Carolyn Mortensen of Wall Lake after the bus struck and injured a seven-year-old Odebolt girl.

County attorney Bens Smith Wednesday released information that he would not prosecute the 56-year-old woman for leaving the scene of the accident.

According to Smith's statement, the sheriff's office did an excellent job investigating the accident and the charges were appropriate.

However, Smith says the decision to pursue a criminal conviction rests solely with the county attorney. He also stated justice would not be served by prosecuting someone who had no criminal intent and who has dedicated her life to caring for and protecting children.

Arrest made in 2007 slaying near Davenport

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) Scott County authorities say a Burlington man who's in federal prison on child pornography charges faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of a woman whose badly burned body was found four years ago in a field near Davenport.

County Attorney Mike Walton says Wednesday that a warrant was issued for 33-year-old Chad Welsh charging him with killing 41-year-old Angela Hennes in 2007.

He also faces a charge of abuse of a corpse.

Walton says Hennes was strangled to death.

Authorities say DNA samples were taken, which later resulted in a match with Welsh's DNA.

Welsh is in federal prison in Springfield, Mo., serving an eight-year sentence. He was arrested on pornography charges in 2008.

Sheriff Dennis Conard says authorities are working to bring Welsh back to Iowa for trial.

Officers say Cedar Rapids man pepper-sprayed them

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) A 22-year-old Cedar Rapids man has been arrested, accused of using pepper spray on two police officers.

Authorities say the two officers were sent a home around 6 p.m. Tuesday to investigate a disturbance between a man and his son.

The Gazette of Cedar Rapids is reporting that Patrick Cunningham tried to go past the officers and get down into the basement, but they stopped him.

The officers say Cunningham pulled the spray canister from a pocket and sprayed them in the face. They chased Cunningham down the stairs and took him into custody on suspicion of assault on peace officers.

A Linn County jailer says Cunningham is no longer in custody. A public phone listing for him could not be found. Online court records don't list the case yet.

Regents select Atlanta-based firm for ISU search

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) The Iowa Board of Regents has decided to pick an Atlanta-based consulting firm to help look for the next president of Iowa State University.

The regents agreed Wednesday to select Parker Executive Search over two other finalists to help find a successor for ISU President Gregory Geoffroy. He announced plans to step down next year.

Board President David Miles said Parker stood out from the field because of its experience leading searches for other jobs at Iowa State and success with other presidential searches. He says their fees will likely be more than $100,000.

Parker describes itself as a global leader in executive searches for universities, college athletics and corporations.

Regents approve $20.6 million facility for ISU

AMES, Iowa (AP) The Iowa Board of Regents has approved a new $20.6 million football facility for Iowa State.

The board on Wednesday gave the green light for a 60,000-square-foot, two-story complex to house the Cyclones football program.

The building will be located next to Iowa State's indoor practice facility just outside of Jack Trice Stadium. Construction will begin this summer and the facility is expected to open in the fall of 2012.

The new building will house locker rooms, coaches' offices and workouts areas.

Athletic director Jamie Pollard says the new building is needed because the Cyclones have outgrown their current space.

Iowa State plans to pay for the facility through private donations and athletic department revenue.

Regent: We respect GOP concerns on Harkin center

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) The president of the Iowa Board of Regents says it's unclear whether the panel will reconsider naming a public policy center for U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin.

Board President David Miles told reporters Wednesday that regents respect the Republican-controlled Iowa House's decision to pass a resolution Tuesday protesting the Harkin Institute for Public Policy, which the board approved in April.

Republican lawmakers say it's inappropriate to name the center after the veteran Democratic senator while he's still in office. The institute would house Harkin's papers, research public policy and be a clearinghouse for information about the Iowa Caucuses.

Miles says he was aware of concerns before the board approved the institute, but he says he'll discuss the matter further with other board members before deciding how to respond to the resolution.

U. of Iowa art building set to reopen after flood

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) The University of Iowa says construction should finish this fall on a project to rebuild an art building that was heavily damaged in the June 2008 flood.

UI officials told the Iowa Board of Regents on Wednesday that Art Building West would be the first major building to fully recover from the flood, which closed 20 major buildings.

Its completion will allow some art and art history classes to be taught in the building starting in January. Many of those classes have been held at a former big-box store three miles away from campus.

One reason the project has moved quickly is that the Federal Emergency Management Agency deemed the building likely to be historically significant. That's because the building, which opened in 2006, had been recognized internationally for its architecture.